U.S. patent application number 13/950396 was filed with the patent office on 2015-01-29 for hands-free safety gate.
The applicant listed for this patent is Christopher C. Briden, Mark J. Sousa, Brian Sundberg, Steven L. Torosian. Invention is credited to Christopher C. Briden, Mark J. Sousa, Brian Sundberg, Steven L. Torosian.
Application Number | 20150027060 13/950396 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52389271 |
Filed Date | 2015-01-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150027060 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sousa; Mark J. ; et
al. |
January 29, 2015 |
Hands-Free Safety Gate
Abstract
A child safety gate includes a frame having a first side and a
second side configured to be removably mounted to opposing sides of
a passageway. The gate further includes a door pivotably coupled to
the first side and releasably coupled to the second side and a
release mechanism coupled to the first side of the frame and
pivotably coupled to the door. The release mechanism includes a
foot pedal and is configured to move the door from a closed and
locked position to an open position when the foot pedal is
sufficiently actuated.
Inventors: |
Sousa; Mark J.; (Hope,
RI) ; Sundberg; Brian; (Chester, NH) ; Briden;
Christopher C.; (Coventry, RI) ; Torosian; Steven
L.; (York, ME) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Sousa; Mark J.
Sundberg; Brian
Briden; Christopher C.
Torosian; Steven L. |
Hope
Chester
Coventry
York |
RI
NH
RI
ME |
US
US
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
52389271 |
Appl. No.: |
13/950396 |
Filed: |
July 25, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
49/394 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05B 53/001 20130101;
E06B 9/04 20130101; E06B 2009/002 20130101; E05B 65/0014 20130101;
E05B 17/2038 20130101; E05C 9/185 20130101; E05C 9/1808 20130101;
E05B 65/0007 20130101; E05C 19/006 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
49/394 |
International
Class: |
E06B 11/02 20060101
E06B011/02; E05B 65/00 20060101 E05B065/00; E06B 9/04 20060101
E06B009/04 |
Claims
1. A child safety gate comprising: a frame having a first side
configured to be removably mounted to one side of a passageway and
a second side configured to be removably mounted to an opposing
side of the passageway; a door pivotably coupled to the first side
of the frame and releasably coupled to the second side of the
frame; and a release mechanism including a foot pedal, the release
mechanism coupled to the first side of the frame, pivotably coupled
to the door, and configured to move the door from a closed and
locked position to an open position when the foot pedal is
sufficiently actuated.
2. The child safety gate of claim 1, wherein the door is releasably
coupled to the second side of the frame by a latch mechanism.
3. The child safety gate of claim 2, wherein the latch mechanism
further includes a hand release mechanism configured to move the
door from the locked position to an unlocked position.
4. The child safety gate of claim 3, wherein the hand release
mechanism includes a slider configured to move from a locked
position to a released position, a rod configured to move in a
substantially vertical direction, and an actuator movably coupled
to the rod, wherein the actuator is permitted to move the rod in
the substantially vertical direction when the slider is in the
released position and the actuator is unable to move the rod in the
substantially vertical direction when the slider is in the locked
position.
5. The child safety gate of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism
is configured to move the door in a substantially vertical
direction so as to allow the door to go from the locked position to
an unlocked position.
6. The child safety gate of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism
further includes a spring configured to move the door from the open
position to the closed and locked position.
7. The child safety gate of claim 1, wherein the frame further
includes a connecting member configured to couple the first side to
the second side of the frame, wherein the release mechanism is
further coupled to the connecting member.
8. The child safety gate of claim 1, wherein the release mechanism
further includes a second foot pedal disposed in an opposing
direction from the foot pedal, the second foot pedal configured to
move the door from the closed and locked position to the open
position when the second. foot pedal is sufficiently actuated.
9. A child safety gate comprising: a frame having a first side
configured to be removably mounted to one side of a passageway and
a second side configured to be removably mounted to an opposing
side of the passageway; a door pivotably coupled to the first side
of the frame and releasably coupled to the second side of the
frame; and a release mechanism including a first foot pedal and a
second foot pedal disposed in an opposing direction from the foot
pedal, the release mechanism coupled to the first side of the
frame, pivotably coupled to the door, and configured to move the
door from a closed and locked position to an open position when
either the first foot pedal or the second foot pedal is
sufficiently actuated.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The invention relates to child safety gates, and more
specifically to child safety gates that are capable of being opened
without using the hands.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Child safety gates are used to block passageways so that
infants and toddlers are prevented from leaving designated areas or
from accessing unsupervised areas. The gates, however, need to
allow relatively easy access through the passageway for authorized
individuals such as older children or adults. In some cases, the
safety gates are difficult to open or require one or two hands to
remove the barrier to the passageway, open the door or re-latch it
closed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a child
safety gate includes a frame having first and second sides
configured to be removably mounted to opposing sides of a
passageway. The gate further includes a door pivotably coupled to
the first side and releasably coupled to the second side and a
release mechanism coupled to the first side of the frame and
pivotably coupled to the door. The release mechanism includes a
foot pedal and is configured to move the door from a closed and
locked position to an open position when the foot pedal is
sufficiently actuated.
[0004] In some embodiments, the child safety gate may be releasably
coupled to the second side of the frame by a latch mechanism. The
latch mechanism may include a hand release mechanism configured to
move the door from the locked position to an unlocked position. The
hand release mechanism may include a slider configured to move from
a locked position to a released position, a rod configured to move
in a substantially vertical direction, and an actuator movably
coupled to the rod. The actuator may move the rod in the
substantially vertical direction when the slider is in the released
position. In addition, the actuator may be unable to move the rod
in the substantially vertical direction when the slider is in the
locked position. The release mechanism may be configured to move
the door in a substantially vertical direction so as to allow the
door to go from the locked position to an unlocked position. The
release mechanism may include a spring configured to move the door
from the open position to the closed and locked position. The frame
may include a connecting member configured to couple the first side
to the second side of the frame, and the release mechanism may be
also coupled to the connecting member. The release mechanism may
include two foot pedals disposed in opposing directions, and the
second foot pedal may be configured to move the door from the
closed and locked position to the open position when the second
foot pedal is sufficiently actuated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a child
safety gate in a closed position according to embodiments of the
present invention.
[0006] FIG. 2 schematically shows a perspective view of an upper
latch with a hand release mechanism for a child safety gate in the
closed position according to embodiments of the present
invention.
[0007] FIG. 3 schematically shows a perspective view of a lower
latch for a child safety gate in the closed position according to
embodiments of the present invention.
[0008] FIG. 4 schematically shows a front view of a child safety
gate in a closed and unlocked position according to embodiments of
the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 5 schematically shows a perspective view of the lower
latch for a child safety gate in the closed and unlocked position
according to embodiments of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 6 schematically shows a perspective view of a child
safety gate in an open position according to embodiments of the
present invention.
[0011] FIG. 7 schematically shows a front view of a release
mechanism for a child safety gate in the released position when the
pedal is partially depressed according to embodiments of the
present invention.
[0012] FIG. 8 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the
release mechanism for a child safety gate in the released position
when the pedal is partially depressed according to embodiments of
the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 9 schematically shows a perspective view of the release
mechanism for a child safety gate in the open position according to
embodiments of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 10 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the
release mechanism for a child safety gate in the open position
according to embodiments of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 11 schematically shows a perspective view of the upper
latch with the hand release mechanism in the locked position and
showing the inner components according to embodiments of the
present invention.
[0016] FIG. 12 schematically shows a front view of the upper latch
with the hand release mechanism in the locked position and showing
the inner components according to embodiments of the present
invention.
[0017] FIG. 13 schematically shows a perspective view of the upper
latch with the hand release mechanism in the unlocked position
according to embodiments of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 14 schematically shows a front view of the upper latch
with the hand release mechanism in the unlocked position according
to embodiments of the present invention.
[0019] FIGS. 15-17 schematically show a perspective view of the
upper latch during the gate closing process according to
embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Various embodiments of the present invention provide a child
safety gate that is capable of being opened without using the
hands. The gate includes a frame configured to be removably mounted
to opposing sides of a passageway, a door pivotably coupled to one
side of the frame and releasably coupled to the other side of the
frame, and a release mechanism coupled to one side of the frame and
pivotably coupled to the door. The release mechanism includes a
foot pedal and is configured to move the door from a closed and
locked position to an open position when the foot pedal is
sufficiently depressed or actuated. In addition, the gate includes
a hand release mechanism so that the gate may be unlocked and
opened by hand without using the release mechanism and its foot
pedal. The safety gate prevents infants or toddlers from leaving a
designated area while permitting relatively easy access through the
passageway for adults. Details of illustrative embodiments are
discussed below.
[0021] FIG. 1 schematically shows a child safety gate 10 that is
configured to be removably mounted across a passageway according to
embodiments of the present invention. The safety gate 10 includes a
frame 12 and a door 14 mounted to the frame. The frame 12 includes
a first side 16 that is removably mounted to one side of the
passageway, a second side 18 that is removably mounted to the
opposing side of the passageway, and a connecting member 20 that
spans the passageway and connects the first and second sides
together. The frame 12 may be adjusted to fit across passageways of
varying dimensions. For example, adjustment members 22, that engage
one side of the passageway, may be used on the first and second
sides of the frame in order to increase or decrease the length of
the frame.
[0022] The door 14 is pivotably coupled to the first side 16 of the
frame, e.g., at an upper location 14a, and releasably coupled to
the second side 18 of the frame using one or more latch mechanisms
24, 26. For example, FIGS. 2 and 3 show close-up views of the upper
latch 24 with a hand release mechanism 28 and the lower latch 26,
respectively. Each of the latch mechanisms 24, 26 include a rod 30
movably coupled to the door 14 and a groove 32 configured to
receive the rod 30 and coupled to the second side of the frame 18.
The rod 30 is configured to move in a substantially vertical
direction which allows the latch mechanisms 24, 26 to move from a
locked position (such as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3), in which the rod
30 is positioned in the groove 32, to an unlocked position (such as
shown in FIGS. 4 and 5), in which the rod 30 is out of the groove
and able to move in a horizontal direction when the door 14 is
opened, as will be described in more detail below.
[0023] The safety gate 10 also includes a release mechanism 34
having one or more foot pedals 36 positioned on either side of the
door 14 in opposing directions (See FIG. 6). The release mechanism
34 is coupled to the first side 16 of the frame and pivotably
coupled to the door 14. During operation, the release mechanism 34
moves the door 14 from a closed and locked position (e.g., as shown
in FIGS. 1-3) to a closed and unlocked position (e.g., as shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5) and then to an open position (e.g., as shown in FIG.
6) when one of the foot pedals 36 is sufficiently actuated. The
release mechanism 34 accomplishes this by initially moving the door
14 in a somewhat vertical direction to the unlocked position and
then by moving the door 14 in a radial direction to the open
position.
[0024] FIGS. 7-10 show close-up views of the release mechanism 34
with portions of it removed or made transparent in order to more
fully describe its function during the various stages of opening
the door 14. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the foot pedal 36
begins to be actuated or depressed with sufficient force by an
individual, the action moves an opening member 38, which contacts a
chamfered portion 42 of the release mechanism 34, initially moving
a portion of the release mechanism 34 upward thus causing the door
14 to initially move in a somewhat vertical direction. When the
door 14 moves with sufficient vertical motion, each rod 30 moves
upward and out of each corresponding groove 32 so that the latch
mechanisms 24, 26 are released or unlocked, such as shown in FIGS.
4 and 5. The upward motion also causes a load to be applied to a
compression spring 40 in the release mechanism 34 and to a torsion
spring 60 in the foot pedal 36. FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view
of the release mechanism 34 with the foot pedal 36 on the left
partially depressed and the foot pedal 36 on the right in the
un-pressed position. The compression spring 40 and the torsion
spring 60 cause the foot pedals 36 to be biased to the unpressed
position.
[0025] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, as the foot pedal 36 is
depressed further, the opening member 38 continues to push upward
on the chamfered member 42 which causes the door 14 to move in a
radial direction. This radial motion causes the door 14, which is
coupled to a portion of the release mechanism 34, to move to an
open position (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 6, 9 and 10), and the
direction depends on which foot pedal 36 is depressed, e.g., the
door moves away from the depressed foot pedal, so that a person can
readily go through the gate. The upward/radial motion also causes a
further load to be applied to the spring 40, e.g., by compressing
the spring further. When the individual going through the gate 10
releases the foot pedal 36 and the load is removed, the foot pedal
36 returns to the unpressed position due to the spring 40, causing
the door 14 to return to the closed and locked position.
[0026] Although the safety gate 10 may be opened with the release
mechanism 34 and without the use of the hands, embodiments of the
present invention also include a hand release mechanism 28 on top
of the gate 10 so that an individual may unlock the gate by hand
without using the release mechanism 34. FIGS. 11 and 12
schematically show perspective and front views, respectively, of
the upper latch mechanism 24 with the hand release mechanism 28 in
the locked position, and FIGS. 13 and 14 schematically show the
upper latch mechanism 24 in the unlocked position. As shown, the
hand release mechanism 28 includes a spring loaded slider 44 that
moves from a locked position (as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12) to a
released or unlocked position (as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14). The
hand release mechanism 28 also includes the rod 30 that engages the
corresponding groove 32, a carriage 46 that holds the rod 30, and a
spring loaded actuator 48 that is movably coupled to the carriage
46. The spring loaded slider 44 includes a tab 44a that prevents
the carriage 46 from being able to move in a substantially vertical
direction when the spring loaded slider 44 is in the locked
position, as shown in FIG. 11. The rod 30, however, is configured
to move independently within the carriage 46 so that the rod 30 is
able to move in a substantially vertical direction regardless of
whether the spring loaded slider 44 is in the locked or unlocked
position.
[0027] When opening the gate 10, the spring loaded slider 44 is
moved to the unlocked or released position which moves the tab 44a
away from the top of the carriage 46. The spring loaded actuator 48
is then lifted up or moved toward the top of the gate 10 causing
the carriage 46 to move in an upward or substantially vertical
direction, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. The carriage 46 is also
operably coupled to a similar carriage 46a in the lower latch
mechanism 24 which moves in an upward or substantially vertical
direction similar to carriage 46. As the carriages 46, 46a move
upward, the rods 30 also move upward and out of the corresponding
grooves 32, releasing the latch mechanisms 24, 26 and allowing the
door 14 to be pushed open. A load is applied to the spring 40 in
the release mechanism 34 as the door 14 is opened, causing the door
14 to return to the closed and locked position once the door is no
longer being pushed or held open.
[0028] FIGS. 15-17 schematically show a perspective view of the
upper latch mechanism 24 during the gate closing process. As the
door 14 is closing, the rod 30 initially contacts a ramp 50 that is
disposed on either side of the groove 32, such as shown in FIG. 15.
The force of the spring 40 and the motion of the door 14 as it
swings closed causes the rod 30 to move along the ramp 50 toward
the groove 32 which moves the rod 30 in a substantially vertical
direction within the carriage 46, such as shown in FIG. 16. Once
the rod 30 reaches the top of the ramp 50, the rod 30 moves into
the groove 32. FIG. 17 shows an exaggerated view of the rod 30
placement right before the rod 30 moves into the groove 32.
Although not shown, the lower latch mechanism 26 works in a similar
fashion as described above with respect to the upper latch
mechanism 24
[0029] Embodiments of the safety gate 10 allow the gate to be
opened using the foot pedal in a hands-free operation and also
opened by hand using the hand release mechanism 28. Although the
above discussion discloses various exemplary embodiments of the
invention, it should be apparent that those skilled in the art can
make various modifications that will achieve some of the advantages
of the invention without departing from the true scope of the
invention. For example, the release mechanism 34 may be mounted
toward the floor, as shown, or toward the middle or upper end of
the gate (not shown) and actuated by applying a sufficient force
(e.g., pressing a knee or hip) to the pedal 36. Also, the foot
pedal 36 is shown as being depressed, but the foot pedal 36 may be
actuated in any direction, e.g., pressed down, raised up, moved
sideways. The door 14 may also be moved in either a substantially
upward (as shown) or substantially downward vertical direction when
moving to the released position.
* * * * *